What Once Was
by SinDRegrets911
Summary: She didn't try and fool herself into believing that his breathing didn't calm her. But the magnitude of her rash actions always seemed to catch up to her. Facts remained facts: she was harboring a known, wanted, and thought to be dead criminal. SasukexOC
1. Windmill

**Disclaimer: I do not own the _Naruto_ series of any of the characters associated with the _Naruto_ series.**

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><p>The walls creaked as a sign of caution about what awaited up the stairs. The house was older, build long before the Great War of Nations. It withstood battles and use. The building's original function was to supply energy for the valley, spinning electricity from the strength of the wind. It withstood so much; hopefully it can withstand more to come.<p>

A form slowly ascended the steps to the upper levels of the windmill, taking each stride with a cautious confidence. Even the steps protested against the transferred weight, but they were simply ignored. She was never one to listen to the majority.

Reaching a door, she halted for a mere second, breathing in the deep, musty scent of the battered wood around her to get a grip on her turbulent mind. She knew what awaited from behind the door, but as to why the she placed the weight upon her own shoulders was a whole different question. One could say it was out of respect, loyalty, honor. But, she was not about to say that her actions were of noble origin.

Releasing the latch on the door, she carefully made her way inside the dark room. With a heavy breath, imbedded in her chest, she transverse across the room to a stationary bed; taking care to shut the door with an encroaching click of the door. An even rhythm of breaths kept pace with her own as the distance between her and her goal decreased.

She didn't try and fool herself into believing that his breathing didn't calm her, even the slightest. The memory of last week when he nearly lost it for six minutes intruded on her already hectic thoughts before she aggressively blew them out of her mind. Taking a pale, thick wrist into her fingers, she counted his heartbeats that still resonated her own. Normal.

She placed it back to where it once lied, beside his unmoving frame. Undoing his shirt, she then checked the bandaged covering his torso and appendages, finding the majority of the gauze quite clean with minor red spotting; a good sign with all things considering. She was no medical expert, nor a good nurse; but having a few medical ninjas as friends that would always spew useful knowledge about what they were doing when one bangs up their body beyond the remedy of sleep and ice cream, did help.

Her clear grey eyes wondered to his pristine visage, washed clean of blood and removed of all bandages. Why, even when his cheeks were so thin and his lips dry, did he still look the image of perfection in her mind?

Flipping her nearly forgotten pack over her shoulder, she brought out a canteen of water to gingerly press to his lips; allowing a slow stream of water to run down his throat with some coaxing of the fingers.

She knew he was well not without faults. Irritating, stubborn, rash, pompous, inconsiderate bastard; yet still, she found herself sitting by his side at ever spare moment that came to her.

A chair was beside his bed with a half stitched garment lying limply atop of it. She found herself taking a seat in it once again with the cloth in hand. Holding the tattered material up, she was careful of the needle still imbedded in the collar from her last useless attempt at seaming the shirt back to its former glory. It really seemed useless and if were any other shirt, she would have just thrown it out; but it held a symbol that she knew was irreplaceable.

The reminisce of his old blood had been scrubbed thoughtlessly by her callused hands. Not much could be said by the rips that still marred the back of the garment.

Removing the needle, she continued the try and make the piece whole again. It would never be perfect, for she was never one to leave an unfinished project. Her mind cleared and she found something along the lines of solace in this ceremony of nurse and guard. But the magnitude of her rash actions always seemed to catch up to her sooner or later. Facts remained facts: she was harboring a known, wanted, and thought to be dead criminal of the country.

She stopped her work, looking upon his pale visage with a lost gaze. He had been in this condition for nearly a week. His weight had seriously declined and if it wasn't for her force water down his throat, she was sure he would have been gone. There were times when she thought that he wouldn't awake, that he could have possibly suffered a concussion and is now in a comma. His shirt fell into her lap, with the silver needle settled atop the mass. _'But,'_ she thought silently, _'he's not dead.'_

Something in her chest lightened, but her shoulders still heaved at the burden. Her head fell into awaiting hands, allowing her dark braid to trail down her neck. _'Baka.'_ What had she been thinking? An all knowing throb echoed through her chest, still so fresh from so long ago. Wasn't time supposed to heal all wounds? It's been years since that night in the rain; yet she knew that her aura has never been the same since and it probably will never be the same.

She looked up upon his face once more, cheek supported by knuckles. She found her mind calming as grey eyes roamed around his peaceful face. _'If only he were so when awake.'_

Fingertips brushed his midnight bangs from his lashes. Amazing how fast hair could grow. Fingers brushed against his temple, caressing his soft skin before resting upon his pale cheek. At first she questioned what she was doing; yet, she never found a plausible reason and could never pull herself away.

'_But why does it have to hurt?'_

X-X-X-X

The wind was nagging at the back of her neck, carefully pushing her along in the direction of home. Yet, her body felt resistant to the wind's guidance. Someone was following.

Her senses picked up around the surroundings with each impact of each branch beneath her feet echoed in her ears. She strained to hear an echoing pair, but only heard the whispering wind. The scroll hidden in her right leg burned against her skin. Was this what they were after?

Grey eyes darted around the lush forest, taking in the landscape. Not an ideal place for a fight. She sensed a chakra spike and flipped down a level on a branch, changing directions. Not a sound was made in the dense forest as she lied in wait beneath a dense thicket. The air was hazy with fog, now that she lowered beneath the canopy. Mist hung in the air, thick enough to wrap around and be used as a blanket. Closing her darkening eyes, she listened for movement, sending streams of breeze out as a pinpoint. They whipped around the foliage of the forest, breezing by and sending the feedback to its origin.

Her eyes snapped open as the stalker waited in the middle of a clearing on just the other side. What are their intentions? Knowing that they were alone, she stepped out of the cover cautiously to meet them.

Only their silhouette was visible, but as she took a step to close the distance, the wind pushed the fog away and she was left staring into eyes of pitch. Her heart stopped making breathing near impossible. Slowly, her hand started to quiver as her arms lay limp at her side, but not in fear.

He stood not ten yards from her still form yet they still felt so far. Her mind scattered in every which way, leaving a gaping shell at his mercy. Her breath locked itself in the throat as lips parted. Her throat felt so dry, yet somehow she found a voice

"Sasuke?"

He had changed in three years, not drastically, but enough to say that he was no longer the same person that she knew. She nearly slapped herself then. Did she even know him back then?

Broad shoulders, clear and pale skin, night black hair, sharp eyes. She felt the lock on her memories flatter for a mere second, sending a tense chill down her spine.

"San."

It only took one sample of his voice to piece together her mind and for her heart to, once again, begin the process of pushing blood to her shrieking veins. Her arm bent off its own accord and she found her fingers lacing around the hilt of her tanto.

A gale pushed into her mind causing her chest to heave and breath to quicken. The pain resurfaced, boiling uncontrollably over the edge on her decaying barriers.

"_You won't kill me."_

Each syllable was so easily cut into her soul, burning...

"_I never had a home..."_

Her jaw set as she began to grip her sheathed sword with enough force to shake it. As hard as she tried, her gaze would not waver from his. The wind around them danced, isolating the area in their own world of memories and pain. He had gotten closer and she found herself clashing blades with his before her next breath. The ringing of steel seemed to release the tension in her body, but only add that in the air. Rage still burned within San's soul from so long ago. Only one strike and she found her hands shaking.

"You left," she delivered a quick set of kicks into his torso and side, sending him stumbling with burning eyes. "You said you would never come _home_!"

She breathed through grit teeth, voice as low as the valley she came from. The gale inside her veins rattled her frame and pushed her blade farther. He stared into San's changing eyes with a gaze that she did not care to interpret.

Clash after clash echoed in the fog dense forest. Her mind raced against the storm inside, keeping pace. She kicked, clawed, striked will all that her body would allow her. She let her emotions drive her muscles to tense and stance to settle. That was her fault.

"San!"

Her gaze did not waver from his dark eyes as she felt her breath leave her all too quickly. She began to fall back. The hilt of Sasuke's sword quickly moved away from her torso as he reached and caught her pale wrist. With an escaping sword and breath, her back hit the ground.

"San-," he repeated again until her leg weaseled between them, effectively delivering a sharp impact to his gut. His frame flattered and eyes shut, but his grip held.

"Let me go!" San screamed with raging green eyes. The wind seemed to push the fog closer, as a crowd and cover.

"San, listen to me!" His shin held down her forearm and leg while her other wrist remained in his unrelenting grasp. Sasuke crouched over her with a hard gaze as he tried to contain her thrashing form. San's head rolled to the side, burying her forehead to the supporting soil while she still tried to fight. "Calm down."

Her heart lurched, sending a calming euphoria through her body, ceasing the storm. Breath returned to an even rhythm and eyes returned to a hazy grey. San then realized that her cheeks were damp. Had she been crying?

She felt the beating of a heart, but it sounded nothing like her own. This one was louder, stronger... familiar...

"Soyogakure is going to be attacked," he said evenly, brining her out of her thoughts to stare widely at him. "You can keep attacking me blindly, or be calm while I explain."

He took my silence as an affirmative and slowly released pressure on her limbs. San processed his words further, before blinking and sitting up. "Explain. Now."

A glare was sent at her but she pressed on, leaning closer to him with a matching expression. "Orochimaru is planning an attack upon Soyokagure by the next vernal equinox," he voiced with a fixed gaze.

San's breath hitched, "That's only next week." Sasuke merely nodded singly, turning forward.

Her gaze hardened upon his form, "Why would you betray this information to me?"

"You need not know the reason why," he spat, eyeing the woman beside him. Her jaw clenched and she almost reacted by grabbing the hilt of her tanto, but it was not sheathed on the small of her back. San's gaze turned forward into the thicket of mist. A blanket of unknown bordered by the coniferous trees.

"If you really expect me to trust _you_," she spat bitterly, "You must trust _me_." She really did try and smother the spit in her words, but years of it simmering in her core did not help.

He suddenly stood. It wasn't until he did so that San noticed a red gash across his torso and hip. It was not deep, nor was it shallow. She turned away from it.

"Look," his eyes bore into hers as if cutting her from the inside, "I am telling you for the sake of your village. Just because you do not trust me does not mean-"

"That is exactly what it means!" Her steel grey eyes matched his intensity as she remained seated on the dampened ground. "You are giving me no reason to believe you and why would you betray your bastard of a _Master_ for the sake of a village that you have never seen?"

Her gaze shot down as her legs moved to fold in front of her. Only then did he see the unhealed wounds of so long ago still embedded within her. Yes, she was strong and resilient; but not invincible. She was brave enough to allow him in, but he was heartless enough to break out. San could have been crying, but she knew better than to allow her emotions to spill over again while in the Uchiha's presence. It was not like before...

"You were right," she sighed as she spoke hollowly, with her arms around herself to keep from falling apart so soon. "I could not kill you then." The night so long ago that led to them both being soaked to the bone was still fresh in her memories. She had to remember it, his words and his eyes.

Just barely she managed to catch him from outside his village gates, but back then, she didn't understand that he wasn't the same boy she knew.

"_You're being rash," she reasoned as the rain pelted her open form."Come on, let's get you home."_

_His eyes narrowed, holding something she mistook as hatred. San took a step back upon his trail with a frown. "I never had a home..." _

_Lightning hit somewhere in the distance as thunder filled her ears. Her mind tried to make sense of his words, but bit by bit, she felt herself loosing. "You have people here that love yo-"_

"_I am cutting my bonds." His hated glare moved to his open palms, "Cutting the bonds that make me weak."_

_She could not believe his words. The Sasuke that stood before her was not the same one that had fought alongside her. He was not the same one that wanted to protect. No, she realized slowly as she saw the hatred in his eyes burn, this was the one back in the Forest of Death in the chunin exams, not a month ago..._

"_Bonds!" She shouted with white knuckles, numb from the cold. "You're exchanging bonds for Curses! The Snake is just going to use you! You will not get stronger by hatred!" Her forearm burned but not nearly as much as his glare._

"_I do not need the approval of the likes of __you__. Now move!" The force in his tone settled in with the raging storm around them. Her mind raced before something broke deep inside of her and she found herself drawing her tanto. Water droplets dripped from the fresh blade as her hands shook. _

"_Then," words just came out, "if you come any further, I will kill you." Lightning flashed, closer this time, and the thunder overtook the cries of a falling tree. _

_Her stance did not shift as he began to walk closer to her. "You can't kill me," his empty eyes looked past her wide, grey eyes as his palm encased her shaky grip, "or more, you won't kill me."_

_He lowered her weapon as they stared upon one another in the weeping weather. She was still searching for something inside of him that was recognizable; yet nothing was in his eyes. San's knees buckled under the weight and she came down upon the mud as her heart crumbled. _

_Sasuke walked past her, leaving her to kneel in the mud under the turrets of water. She hated him and all the moments that contained him. Bitter. Water pooled around her hands and knees in the soft mud as water streaked down her cheeks. _

He left her broken and for her pieces to be stepped upon. Long ago, she had ceased her pained expression, but she never expected the wounds to heal. She knew better.

"I would not kill you then, but," her gaze hardened as her face turned to him beside her, as she was once again covered in mud, "If you are lying to me, I will not hesitate to do so now. You have grown stronger, as have I. Shall we see who has had the more successful method?"

"It was never my intention to fight you," his hand moved as if to cover his wound, but stopped mid-way, before he sheathed his chokuto. "You started it, baka."

San rolled her grey eyes to the side, realizing that though in appearance he had changed; he had never really grown up. By the time eyes rolled forward, she saw her tanto being held out to her, hilt forward.

"Orochimaru has not started to mobilize the army, but he will. I'll send you word with the finer details, but be prepared."

Her gaze didn't leave her sword in his open palm. She grasped it, pulling herself up with his unsuspected stance and took her weapon, sheathing it behind her. "I still do not understand why you are giving me this information."

Sasuke watched the light catch her muddied hair and dirt crusted forehead. Yet her eyes shined. Memories could not compare to the real being beside him. She could be covered in sludge, battle worn and torn; but at the very sight of her his entire air changed.

"Sasuke," she spoke softly making his heart beat in an all too humanly way. He took in a breath, only for it to be forced out by a hard-hit impact to his face. Only minimally did he stumble, mostly out of shock. His stance composed itself after realizing that she stood tall in front of him. Yes, she had smacked him. No, she was not the least bit apologetic about it. And yes, she thought it felt amazing.

The pressure in her body left her breathing heavy and relief finally came to her. It took all but a second to regain thought process and notice that Sasuke now stood face-to-face with her, taller than she had recalled. At first she glared at him, matching his; but then she was utterly confused when she felt a light touch upon her lips. With wide eyes she froze under his gaze as his palm wrapped around her jaw.

"You really don't understand," he spoke slowly, close enough to feel the vibration in his voice. San felt the wind whip her hair and the circling current nudge her. Her heart was shaking against her cage, rattling her form.

"Better luck next time."

She blinked and he was gone, again. To stand alone, again.

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><p>Thank you for reading. I did not know if I even wanted to put this series up, but I decided that if I bothered to start it, I might as well make the effort to publish and finish it. Please tell me what you think!<p>

I am going to try and do the format of this series a bit differently than the ones int he past. This will be a bit of a shorter series at 5ish chapters, but hopefully it will still be good.

Again, thank you for reading and I would love to hear anything and everything that you have to say portraying to this story.

-Sin


	2. Own Will

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto series!**

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><p>The might have been nightmares, or memories. Was there really much a distinction anymore? Nightmares were the horrors that could come. Memories were the horrors that he has endured.<p>

When had the skies ever been red? When had he remembered the vile stench of copper liquid stalking him? He wondered if the sky always had heavy black clouds in the distance.

In his hands was a red blade. But he remembered that it wasn't always red. In fact, it used to be an exceptional tool that he practiced with daily, nearly hourly. It disappeared... What happened to it?

He felt nothing, like his body had turned numb with anesthetic or cold. Either way, he could have been dead. Dead?

For a mere second, he saw only pitch around him. As his surroundings slowly flickered back, his head tilted down where he could have sworn he saw a foreign blade. He blinked, and nothing remained.

He wanted to question why nothing seemed to come as a shock to him, before he realized that he had not taken a breath. His eyes widened before he felt a very cold wind pass and his eyes closed again.

His body jerked to the side, slightly trembling before his entire chest heaved itself out of the bed's embrace. Eyes finally opened to the new night as palms dug into the unfamiliar sheets. His breath returned as did feeling in his body. Pale hands trembled while arms shook to keep him sitting upright. Pain dulled his legs from even moving and looking down, he found bandages around his torso and chest.

Mouth pressed into a line, his fingers shakily traced around his torso until he found an indent that shot waves of protest. His teeth clenched but an audible growl was still released. He found three more instances with the same result. Four wounds around vital areas.

He found his heart rate slowing, as he began to breath lighter. His dark gaze turned from the warm bed to the unfamiliar room. A table, a single desk tucked away in the corner, and a chair beside him. The room was dim with the sole source of light coming from the open window, telling his it was nearly dawn.

How long had he been here?

His eyes continued moving across and over the room before him before realizing he had missed the most shocking aspect. A girl stood off to the side in front of a closed door. Her arms knotted behind her back and a hard visage masked the turmoil within her mind.

Raven hair fell around her in a grim veil as she locked eyes with him. Steel grey orbs challenged his gaze, allowing him the surface meaning of her thoughts before breaking away to the open window.

"It's about time you woke." She restrained her voice to keep her mind in check. Her foot pushed her form off the door's support. "You've been out for a week."

Sasuke kept his gaze upon her, seeking eye contact once more as she transverse the room to the window beside his bed. She opened it, letting the breeze rush in and swirl around her as if attempting to steal her way from the room, his presence. She brushed it off, tucking the captured strands of hair behind her ear in an attempt to contain the mass. Breathing in the chilled air settled her nerves, but did nothing to help her mind.

"Where am I?" His voice came out cracked and dry. He nearly coughed up desert sand. She frowned, coming to his bedside to pour water into a cup with steady hands, despite shaking nerves. "Where do you think?"

His mind was hazed. Logically, he thought, he would be in Soyokagura. The likely hood of San leaving her village for a week was less than slim. He heard the background groan of machinery around him, barely audible. The breeze jetted around him between him and her as she stood beside him with a knotted expression.

The last thing he remembered was a strong impact. His fingers traced his torso while his eyes traveled to San once more with a cautioned gaze.

She held the cup, half full, out to him. He eyed her before eying the cup and taking the water, but did not drink. Glancing over, she frowned, taking deep breaths as she backed away to further herself.

"You made quite a mess of yourself," she commented, "nearly killed yourself with such a stupid move."

A stupid move that saved her the injuries that he now bears. Guilt, he realized, with a glare. Guilt was one of her mixed emotions that puzzled her gaze; but what else weighed upon her heart?

She heard him set the emptied cup on the table before the tossing of sheets. With a start, her steel eyes turned his way in a widened fashion. "What are you doing?"

Her feet rushed her to his side to stop him, but he already got to his feet. Before his weight realized gravity and his right calf failed him, she caught his arm. "_Baka!_"

He felt her force him back onto the bed. "You've been bedridden for a week and as soon as you wake you want to get up and walk?" She mumbled more protests until she realized the heat of his arm around her shoulder from where she caught him.

San's heart hammered against its cage, but she did not care to decipher it as desperation or confusion. A sigh was released, "You need to rest." After situating him on the bed she pushed off and made for the door.

"I'll be back in a few hours with some food. Stay here."

The door slammed behind her fading footsteps.

X-X-X-X

San found herself in the door of Soyogakure no Sato's Council of the Elders. Quite simply, the administration of the village. She gazed up at the five men and women with withered skin and hair. All had seen the times of war that had been fought for the freedom of the village and all knew of the village secrets. They were old, but by no means weak.

"Soyokaze, Sanzen," the women of the group spoke flatly with a deep throat. "You come in person before us. What news have you brought? Konohagura no Sato's treaty, I hope."

San looked upon the strong face of the Soyokage; somehow, she felt it gave her strength. The last time she had been in the Elder's council room with all five present, was eight years prior...

"Today that is not my business," she voiced with a grim set line. "I come before your great council to announce of Orochimaru's plot for to attack our great village by the next equinox!"

"What proof do you have?" A man spoke out. He was the only elder with a son present: Hidero, who often sat with his father in hopes of one day taking the position.

San took a deep breath of wind in. "I was told by a reliable source," she explained, only to be questioned further about the source in question. She bit her lip for a mere second, a mistake.

The elder's eyes narrowed down upon San. "Uchiha, Sasuke," one snapped out with syllables of detest. "You expect the High Council to believe a Konohagura traitor?"

"I am not asking you to believe him. I am asking you to trust in me!" San tightened her fists as her eyes darted from one council member to another.

"That boy works under Orochimaru. What proof do you have that he is not leading you into a trap?"

"What is the risk of preparing for an attack?" The entire council looked crossly upon the girl.

"The council shall settle the debate tomorrow, it is late."

"But-" The elders threw a glare at San, shutting her from protest. Her eyes turned from the woman to fixate on the Soyokage. He returned her gaze with a steadiness that could only have been brought on by age. She would be silent, for now.

x.X.x

"Sanzen," the Soyokage spoke softly on their way out of the chamber after being dismissed. He led her down the hallway to his office where the doors were discreetly shut. "Would you mind explaining to me what happened on your mission from Konohagura?" He took a seat behind his desk as San remained standing in front.

"While returning from the retrieval, I encountered an informant who tipped me off to a village-wide attack."

The pen now lay upon the desk with forgotten paperwork. His withered, sun tanned hands interloped themselves with one another before resting upon his torso. His eyes seemed to glaze over, but she knew better than to think he was not in-tune with his surroundings.

It occurred to her that he was waiting for her to continue. "It occurred on our forest border. He said that by the next equinox, there will be an attack headed by Otogakura no Sato."

"Orochimaru."

The sound of the vile name made her skin crawl, as if alive. Just a name as she found her body tensing with a strange lurch from her arm. San resisted the urge to latch onto it with her other hand to reassure herself of her control.

The man who has seem many battles during his years, removed the pipe from between his lips, puffing out smoke thoughtlessly. How many wars would this be for him? The seventh? Eighth? How many battles would this make? Too many... He often questioned the purpose of such events, but at that time, it was not his position to question anything.

He looked upon the youth before him, standing as if anything could come at her and she would take it head on. But, never had the youth been through battle the way he had. Never had they been drenched in their comrade's blood. He would try and prevent a war, but sometimes fate was a fickle thing.

"How much do you trust this informant of yours?" He spoke carefully, watching San's changing eyes. She breathed in an attempt to calm her pounding heart before raising her chin high.

"With my life," she managed to say evenly, holding strong against his probing stare. She heard her own heartbeat in her ears, as she watched him nod. Her breath released, making her realize that he had been holding it.

He understood long ago her infatuation with the genin from Konoha, but his guts told him to trust not only her words, but her unforgiving gaze as well. This was no hormone driven, teenage crush. "If you trust him, then so will I," he stood, making the magnitude of the situation enter the room. "But, I am afraid, we will have to try and convince the council."

The weight on her shoulders returned; yet she remained tall with tense arms. She was prepared to handle what came her way. "But just two voices in the council do not seem to be enough. Why does the council oppose taking necessary precautions?"

The man's brows knotted and with a sigh he lit his pipe. Inhaling the smoke somehow let him remove his emotions from the situation. "The Council," he began, "was founded for the Village's protection and security from the time of our liberation and break away from the Country of the Wind. They only hold the best interests of the village at heart."

A steady stream of smoke left his pipe, but San remained focus on his words. "With that said, you must understand that they do not wish for war. They dread and fear it."

"Do they fear it enough to let the Village that they love so fall?" San asked cautiously, yet somehow it was overshadowed by her strong words.

"For many years the village has gotten by on sneaking past war and proposing treaty after treaty with offenders. It is not wrong, but not always right. In this instance," he took a long breath of smoke, "I fear that battle is the only outcome if the opponent is, indeed, the snake nin."

Her arms moved off its own accord and latched onto her left forearm, the action she was trying to prevent. This action did not go unnoticed to the elder man's faded eyes. He remembered well the night eight years prior when too many unnecessary lives had been lost, including Sanzen's father.

Slowly, her eyes widened and the breath was nearly lost in her lungs. The pain was endured long ago but the scar still marked her flesh. Was the mark upon her flesh a reminder of the death and pain she had endured? "What should we do?"

"Convince as many as we can," he stated simply before his hand slowly raised to point at the door. "Starting with him. Dismissed."

Questioningly, she left the office with a low bow and proper farewell before running into someone.

"Udama-San."

He smiled lightly with his arms neatly folded behind him, "Sanzen," he greeted with a charming smile. "You know, I remember asking you a long time ago to call me Hidero."

She waved a hand in front of her face in apologies, "Sorry, I always forget." She heard him laugh before becoming silence once more. "So what was the deal back there?" His thumb gestured back to the council room as they started to move down the hall.

"You know perfectly well what went on," she explained in a sigh, "the council isn't doing to agree on battle preparations."

"Yeah, all because your source is from your last boyfriend who just happened to turn traitor," he shrugged but was immediately punched in the shoulder, sending him into the neighboring wall. Therefore, injuring his other. He moved to rub his arm while he pulled himself together.

"Do not speak of things you know not about." San turned away from him, towards the doors of the exit. "Besides," she recalled the times of the last Chunnin Exam, "we weren't even that close..."

Really, she didn't even know what they used to be. More than rivals and a bit less than a couple? Like a rival without the completion? She felt her heart sink deeper inside her. She almost heard the rustle of dry leaves in the wind again. And the drum beat of his heart...

"I'm sorry I brought it up," he offered, coming to stand beside her once more. "I just don't like the sound of that guy." Not many people do.

"Let me make it up to you. Are you free tonight?" He offered with open arms and a less than hesitant grin.

"Tonight?" She repeated his offer to herself, now feeling the caked mud weighing down her boots and the dirt that still clung to her hair and back. "No," she found herself saying, "I'm a mess and still a bit tired from the miss-"

"Aww, come on! We haven't hung out together since the Academy days!" The innocent days when all that mattered was getting to the next level, proving yourself to the village. Days of trying to skip out on village missions and getting punished with even more missions because of it. She actually realized what a joke the academy was, it was more of a child volunteer organization than a ninja training school; but it's purpose was not a joke.

The Soyokage's message came back to her as he slung his arm over her shoulders with a convincing grin. San merely shook her head, slowly giving into his pleas. "Okay," she answered with a sigh and a growing smirk at his widening grin. "Only if you give me an hour to change first."

They both agreed to meet at a local barbeque place. However, San knew better than to expect him to wait patiently for her. San trudged her way home, greeted her Uncle and Aunt before soaking in the bath water. She scrubbed clean her soiled hair and skin, trying to wash away all the foreign grime. The steam in the room was thick, but she could still make out the markings etched into her arm's skin. She held the appendage over the water in front of her, rotating it so the design was visible.

Steam passed before her eyes before she felt an icy shiver slither down her spine and her eyes widened. Her other hand rushed to wipe away the feeling of fangs imbedded in her flesh. The water around her splashed and it wasn't until she found her arms coiled around herself did she cease to begin breathing once again. Around her, the water calmed to a ripple, matching the slowing of her heartbeat.

'_Hallucination,'_ she told herself with a sigh, but eight years ago, the feelings were real and pain was present. San could still recall the large, yellow eyes of the sinister snake.

She shook off the feeling and stood to reach for her towel, finished with her bath. She dried herself off, robbing herself in the towel before leaving the basement and making her way up the stairs to her room. She passed the open den where the couple were reading to the flowing music of the radio. She smiled at her Aunt and Uncle's familiar routine. Ever-so-often, her mind would wander to their lives and wonder the "ifs" of a regular citizen's life. No killing, stealing, fighting or lying. But, she never wished it for herself, as she was raised by her father to be a ninja, a fighter. Think of it as one of her many secret childhood fantasies that are to never to come true. She was content with her life as is, with a family of her Aunt and Uncle and a valuable job to the village. There was no logical reason for her to be unhappy. Even as she reached the third level of the house, the streaming tunes of the flute echoed around her.

However, as she reached her door in the house tower, silence settled. San met her dark, empty room. Her weapons still lay motionless upon her bed sheets, where she had left them, ready to be cleaned and stored. With a sigh, she opened her drawers and closet for the inevitable quest of finding something to wear. She pulled out a grey turtle neck, different from her usual attire.

"Have a date tonight?" A voice came from the window. She spun around in shock, garment still in hand, before realizing the identity of the intruder.

Sasuke stood upon the window ceil with an all too familiar smirk upon his lips. He stepped off, into the room with ease. "You know, you really shouldn't leave your window unlocked."

San scowled, throwing the top to the ground. "Most people wouldn't bother climbing four story towers with the risk of being hit by a windmill."

He replied with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms. She glared at him before grabbing her regular set of clothes and retreating behind her changing curtain on the other side of the room.

She threw a look behind her shoulder, "Do not look."

He gave her a shrug, leaning against the frame of his previous entrance as San disappeared behind the curtain. "So, what business do you have with me now?" She asked from the other side.

"I told you that I'd get back to you with more information, didn't I?" Rolling her eyes, she slipped on her green shorts with haste. "And?"

"He's planning on attacking from the South-West barrier. So far, he has enough men to equal the size of a small army," he explained shortly. San slipped on a black tank top, reemerging from the screen, towel in hand. "What is he after? On the South-West side there is the mountain pass, his entire army won't be able to enter the Valley through there."

"He's probably planning on that. Orochimaru is up to something. So far, he's only expressed interest in-"

Grey eyes turned to him, probing for the answer. "-the destruction of the village," he finished shortly. But it was then that Sasuke made a connection as he looked upon San.

"Your Master isn't stupid," she commented, approaching him while untangling her hair from the back of her shirt. "But, he is confusing."

Sasuke's eyes sharpened on a marking on San's upper arm. Without thinking, he grasped her wrist, slightly twisting it to get a better look. San's arm tensed and her wide eyes sharpened to a glare before her mind reeled and her breath held.

The mark was composed of waved lines going in tangent directions. Each of the three blocks of lines fit into the other. It looked faded, nearly grey on some lines, but others looked nearly new, with inky black curves burned into her skin. Kaze no Juin. The Cursed Seal of Wind.

Sasuke's grip remained firm, but San covered it with her other hand, looking away from him. "Unlike you, Sasuke, I didn't feel the need the kill for revenge." He wasn't the only one that lost someone...

She took her arm back, hand still firmly pressed on her upper bicep as if squeezing hard enough could erase the memories and scars.

"How long ago did you get it?" She peered at his from the side of her eyes, the conscience fighting her tongue. "I was ten. The only reason I survived was because of my bloodline limit." And her father... But the reason for survival was also the cause of pain.

Memories of her hard, jade eyes flashed through Sasuke's mind almost making him quiver. _'Of course...'_

His gaze turned out the window and down, spying a young man waiting near the gate. "Looks like your date is here," he said casually, but she didn't take it as such.

"Will you stop mocking me about it," she glared at him, releasing her now red arm and reaching for black sweatshirt. She donned it, covering up her mark once again before reaching for her sword. He noted that she did not denying the term.

"What got you to agree?" She stopped her movements, keeping her gaze steady on the open space before her.

"What does it matter, Sasuke?" San threw her arms out in frustration, if he wanted something answered, she wanted it over with. "You want to know why I'm going to hang out with him? He doesn't try and hurt people for his own sake!" Nor does he break hearts...

With a sigh of frustration she grabbed her wallet and slammed the door behind her to leave him standing alone for once.

X-X-X-X

With full arms she ascended the stairs, just as she did every afternoon, in the old mill. For San, mornings were usually dedicated to training and small missions around the village while most nights involved varying team training sessions or missions. Ever since the attack, the village set her aside as internal support instead of her usual task of intra village support. She suspected it to be the work of the council's ill support and the childish antics of the new Soyokage. Despite this, she didn't feel the need to rebel against the idea. She had a routine within the village down, and regular hours so she was able to plan when to bring food and clothes to her "patient."

It took a good thirty minute walk from the center of the village to the mill, but quite quicker if one climbed the obstructing mountain within the village. She wanted to believe that the location was the reason for shacking Sasuke up in the old mill, but she could not deny that there was a sense of security about the place, nostalgia.

Old pictures still hung on the wall of a happier time, protected by dust covered frames. She looked upon them as she passed, whipping away the layer of grey from the glass, revealing the familiar face of her father. Every time she came, she whipped away the dust, but it seemed to always rebuild the grey mask over his face each night. San let a smile crack on her thin lips, reminded of the infamous grin that he always wore even though the picture was of his stoic expression. He was as carefree as the wind; yet, as cryptic as the murmurs of that of which her resembled. Loving and harsh.

Shaking her head with a light smile, she continued up the stairs with a lighter heart.

Approaching the closed door, she knocked before entering. He didn't seem to shift in any new position since last time, still slumped against the wall behind the bed, glaring at the space in front of him.

Closing the door, she made her way to his bedside, careful not to drop the items in her arms. "Did you get any sleep?" He remained glaring.

Setting the items on the table near the window, the sight of a sword perked his interest and his eyebrow rose ever so slightly. "Here's some new clothes to change into and some food when you are feeling up to it."

Clothes that she took the time to buy at the market and stitch on his unique family crest. Food that she made, using it as an excuse for her lunch when her aunt asked about it.

She felt him move behind her as he reached for the sword beside them. He grasped the black sheath, liquored down for a smooth texture. San watched him silently as he examined the exterior.

"Your other sword got lost. So, this is to replace it," she explained opening the window to allow the breeze to flow in. "It's the same design as your tanto," Sasuke observed, yet the length was a good two feet longer.

"It was meant to be my future long blade, but as you can see," she gestured down and behind her at the sword slung loosely across her hips, "I'm attached to my tanto."

He felt the hilt, almost surprised at how much grip it had for being finished with liquor. He unsheathed it barely a few inches, allowing the light to catch to virgin blade. His lips smirked in satisfaction before he set it down where it once lied and turning back to San who still gazed in his direction. A light smile unveiled itself without her knowing as her hands still held the window ceil in silence.

San wondered how she still felt so far from him, even when they were not three feet from one another. Had her heart changed more than she intended? Even as she gazed at him, the light feelings within her heart that was only felt so long ago, returned to blossom. She felt warm, but was it just because of the sunlight?

Where were they now? What force could pull them apart except for their own wills? She turned away to leave with a falling smile; but before she even made it a step away from the window she felt a hand upon hers. Her movements ceased but her heart began its race.

Electricity set her mind reeling to stay Earthbound and every muscle in her body fought to turn back around to look at him. Her eyes widened as she understood without words his intent.

"No," she whispered, facing the closed door to the exit. She shook her head, bangs swaying with her movements before ripping her hand away from his, not daring to look back at his hurting eyes. She feared her own heart and its unreasonable desires. She felt his heart, even from the middle off the room and heard his slow breaths as he watched her struggle with herself. Her boots echoed against the hard wood floors and she finally made it to the exit. The door handle felt icy against her palms and nearly electrifying, protesting. She ignored it, closing the door behind her.

She cradled her hand, which was still so warm, near her heart as she took careful steps down the stairs alone. Her gaze seemed off as she kept her head turned away with dazed eyes. With each step her heart gave a thump of protest, echoing with her footfalls. Her father's gaze seemed to follow her slow movements down the stairs when she didn't bother to stop in front of his picture.

It was her own will that was holding her back.

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><p>First of all, thank you for reading! Special thank you to my reviewers <strong>AwestruckingAmy123<strong>, **0.-Chan.o.0****,** and **Spark10111**! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your inspirational comments and really do wish to read more.

This will be a short series, but my cursed mind has thought up a way to make it longer. So, after the next chapter, I will consider whether another add on sequel is needed or even wanted. Just thought I should throw it out there...

Again, thank you very much for reading my work!

-Sin


	3. Gone

**Disclaimer: I do not own the _Naruto_ series of any of the characters associated with the _Naruto_ series.**

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><p>The wind seemed to blow harder than usual on this particular afternoon. The sun almost seemed too bright as San trudged through the long grass surrounding the abandoned mills. Her braid whipped her back, reminding her of how long it had become and faintly she wondered if she would want to cut it.<p>

The echo of her boots on the stone steps went unheard as the whispers of the trees in the wind seemed more like moans. She entered the mills shelter, finding the lack of movement around her almost unsettling. Despite the racket outside, it was completely silent within.

San took a moment to switch which hand held the bento before making a right and starting her accent of the stairs. Something in the house felt... off... missing even.

She scanned the hallways, finding only darkness before turning to see the single frame upon the wall. Her brows knotted, finding her father's penetrating grey eyes unmasked. She halted, taking note of the lack of dust. In fact, a swipe through the glass had been cleared, leaving the full frame of her father exposed.

San turned to look up the stairs, taking a shaky breath before quickening her pace up the stairs, passing another frame. This one had a thicker layer of dust and only the center of the frame was cleared. Still, two pairs of green eyes were unveiled to follow San up the stairs. The emerald orbs were nearly identical, except for the soul behind them.

San's footfalls were barely a whisper through the house until she reached the single door where light peaked out from underneath. Her palm pressed itself against the ice cold knob. She closed her eyes a second long prayer before she opened her eyes to an empty room.

Her heartbeat rang in her ears and she squinted at the lights reflection of everything. Rays of light intruded the room, bouncing off every surface that it could. Silence occupied every corner of the overly lit room but she felt her own breathing suffocating.

Empty...

Not even the clothes lay upon the table as they usually did, nor the boxed lunch from the previous day. The chokuto included. But, her heart wasn't sinking because of the vanished items.

The sound of her footsteps ran the silence out, as she plopped the wrapped lunch on the table with a sigh. The room somehow seemed much larger than it really was. How long did she really expect him to stay?

She never really thought about it. She gave him no reason to remain bedridden and her "prisoner." Maybe because, in her mind, she assumed that because he left her once, he wouldn't repeat his actions. However, as she stood in the bright room with a hollow heart, unlike last time she did not feel an ounce of rage. Instead, she just felt as empty as the room she stood in.

Her arms itched to hold something, so they wrapped around herself; but that did little. Not even the wind could comfort her at this point.

X-X-X-X

Screams. Screams of panic, fear, and confusion filled her ears as she desperately sprinted across the burning rooftops of the village.

"_Evacuate."_

That was her command from the Soyokage's own lips. She hurried to help those that were still struggling behind the mob of citizens heading for the deep forest bunkers, another remnant from the Great War. They had withstood the war and the years, she now prayed that they still stood strong against the present attack.

"_Protect." _

She drew her tanto, taking a breath before her blade clashed with an intruding ninja. His mask prevented identification, but the symbol he wore on his headband was all she needed to make a decision. San shouted at the women behind her to keep moving before pushing her opponent out of her space with ease and pulling back her leg to nail the guy in his spinal cord. He dropped and she continued onwards without another thought.

'_Stay safe...' _It seemed like the breath left him all too quickly as he stared down death.

It seemed that with ever one Otonin that San took down, three replaced the one. Where were the others? All available Soyogakure shinobi were commanded to be at arms and ready, but she had seen no head nor tail of any of them.

San insured that her group of civilians made it to the bunker's entrance safely before leaving the sealing to the men in the group.

"You going to be alright alone out there?" One asked. She recognized him as the supermarket owner along the main street in town. She gave a nod, watching as they lowered the boulder on the base of a tree, shadows casting over their wide eyes. "Stay safe..."

She was left standing alone before the sealed entrance, leaving her open in the darkening forest. Her heart beat faster against her rib cage before she found her legs sprinting back to the village to assist with the defense. Why hadn't they been better prepared? Trees passed her in a flash as the darkened skies, heavy with smoke filled began to emerge.

"No..." The fuel for those fires were people's homes. The thought alone brought her feet moving faster, pushing harder on each branch that her feet grazed. The village was burning, falling and she couldn't even hear the wind anymore. Where had the wind gone?

She could have been at the village gates in ten minutes at her pace, but she heard the tearing of leaves. Her eyes widened as she abruptly changed directions, kicking off a branch to fall several feet down. Where she would have landed, the trunk behind it was now embedded with half a dozen needles.

San skid across a branch and threw a quick glance behind her before leaping off another branch at another angle. Someone was tailing her and a voice screamed inside her mind about her worsening luck. She quickened her leaps and swung around branch with needles imbedding in the bark behind her.

Her thoughts raced through scenarios, finding the majority of them nearly impossible. Kabuto would be one of the worst opponents for her. She had his medical expertness against her, meaning if she aims to damage him, it would have to be in one, powerful shot.

Her ears picked up a change in the air and abruptly threw herself to the ground, hearing a knife embed itself in a branch before exploding. She managed to catch her footing on the ground. There went her first choice scenario of getting to the clearing to battle.

"It's been a while, Sanzen." His voice rang clearly through the trees as she tried to press her back harder against the trunk, as if willing the tree to take her in. "How long has it been?" She tried to catch the slightest scent in the breeze while her focus remained in his voice.

"Too long..." It came from beside her and her eyes shot open, coming face to face with the medic nin. Her tanto was already drawn, but blocked by his scalpel. She quickly pushed away, zigzagging through a series of other trees. "Not long enough..." She though back a two years prior, when the pain was still fresh.

A field of chakra exploded between them and San took the opportunity to roll away and gain distance. She gripped her arm with grit teeth. A very human pulse rang through her ears, originating from the appendage that she was clutching. _'Not like last time...'_

"Are you worried of losing control again?" Kabuto's voice echoed around her. San took a breath, releasing her arm and forming a seal. "I know how fragile the seal must be after all those breaks..."

She reminded herself that it wasn't like last time. She was stronger in both will and fighting capability than two years ago. "You won't be able to force the seal again," she said aloud with chakra gathering around her in tendrils of blue.

A smirk formed on Kabuto's lips as San's energy level increased. "It'll be easy with the rate of chakra burning you're doing now."

A storm raged around their arena, but her mind remained calm and clear. Her arms raised and expanded, allowing the arms of energy to pull in the raging winds around them. Grey eyes opened with a steady breath as she brought her arms closer to her center, bringing the storm's energy with it.

The branches groaned in movement, including the one Kabuto perched himself upon. His silver hair whipped around him as his knife dug deeper into the bark to keep his footing. At the speed of the racing winds around him, he attempted to calculate her movements.

Captured leaves obscured his sight of her until he realized that the wind was slowly dying and San no longer stood before him. With narrowed eyes he took in his chaotic surroundings, but her chakra was everywhere and the movement of the trees and leaves prevented any relevant movement from being detected.

San concentrated on holding the storm's energy between her shaking palms; grey eyes still narrowed down at her target. The winds around them were nothing close to the power that she restrained between her fingers.

After a second of waiting and gathering the calculations, she stood and leapt, head first.

Kabuto's sharp eyes immediately caught her form from above, but before he could make a move San lowered her arms and unleashed the storm in a single, concentrated blast. It threw Kabuto to the ground and San back up to the heavens. Gale after gale spiraled from her palm as she removed a hand to steady her other wrist.

Two storms collided, sending everything out of the forest in an explosion, before allowing a silent calm to settle. San dropped into the forest's foliage, the moss doing absolutely nothing to cushion her impact. One shot. Her only shot.

She drew in heavy breaths, attempting to hoist herself up, off the unforgiving ground before a crack omitted from her shoulder. She bit her tongue to silence the groan. She tried again, this time, managing to get herself back up on her feet. However, the world seemed to shake around her.

Her eyes widened. No, it wasn't the world; just the ground. Before she could make a leap for it, hands shot out from bellow, grasping onto her ankles. She fell, but caught herself with her arms; only to have another two pair of hands emerge from the ground and grasp onto her wrists and shoulders.

San squirmed and kicked, but the hands held her like a vice. Bodies began to arise from the foliage bellow, bringing her into a kneeling position. She attempted to bite the hands that grabbed her, but they kept their distance. She continued to try and free herself, but a tremor raced through her body, halting her actions. Her bones shook and every nerve cell in her body began to blend and boil. The heart within her increased in rate, as her green eyes began to widen.

"No..." She whispered as coils of black tentacles began to snake its way out from under her skin to consume her shaking frame. "No!" San yelled, but she already felt the fire within her begin to consume the barrier that contained it.

From above, the black cloud of smog continued to grow, fueled by the villager's homes. San's home...

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><p>Well, the last chapter before the final conclusion of this story. Thank you so much to <strong>123Blue's Clues<strong>, **anon**, and **HomeSkillitBiscuit.93**! Your reviews and feedback keep me motivated and have convinced me that I do not want to stop such a great thing that will soon be with Sanzen and Sasuke. Instead, I want to further it with a sequel!

So, please review this so that I know you care and next (the very last) chapter I might put a preview of _**"****What Will Come**_._**"**_

Thank you, thank you, and thank you!

-Sin


	4. Want

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Naruto series. I just use the series as a creative escape from reality.**

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><p>The wind in the valley blew softly against the growing shrubs as the villagers continued to construct their lost homes. The battle had taken all the south side homes, but the spirits that had been broken were also being pieced together, by everyone.<p>

Another monument had been constructed for the lives lost; among them, the past Soyokage of Soyogakura. The windmill in the center of town now displayed another wall of names of those lost. None were M.I.A. (Missing In Action), which she supposed would have been worse than K.I.A (Killed in Action).

"San," she turned to see her teammates. They smiled at her and she slowly returned it as the two of them joined her on the cliff that overlooked the village's progress.

A soft breeze blew, catching their hair, but not their steady gaze. They were ninjas of the Wind, born to respect it and taught to read it. They were teammates, chosen by fate to have interlinking paths.

"Work is going fast," Toshi smiled as San and Nami only nodded at the obvious fact. With everyone in the village helping with the construction, the work's progress defiantly exceeded expectation.

"Work may be going fast," the ninjas froze at the voice, "but that is no excuse to ditch missions!"

The three attempted to jump off the cliff. Falling was no fear of theirs since their first lesson as genin was to survive a fall, but the elder man held them fast by the collars of their shirts. "H-hey! Sensei!"

They were forced to look upon the man that was their teacher for the past six years and expect the inevitable beating that they would receive. "We didn't ditch the-"

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" He hollered in the faces of his pupils, "Are you really speaking against the Soyokage? Huh!? Huh!?" He made it a point to jester at his white attire, the formal uniform of the Lord.

San's eye twitched as she stood tall despite the screaming man. "No, Sen-! Soyokage-Dono!" Toshi quivered and San noticed his spiked red hair stand on end more than usual.

An impact, a punch, a kick... They expected something, but after a good minute of standing in tense silence, the three were utterly confused as the man before them burst up in laughter. San began to sigh, relaxing her position to shift weight upon her left leg. Yet the hairs on her neck still seemed to be quivering.

Nami and Toshi did the same with a growing sweat drop forming upon their temples. _'This man,'_ the team thought silently, as they continued to watch their teacher nearly fall off the cliff due to hysterical laughter, _'is the man that the village and council chose to become the leader of the entire village...'_

Finally composing himself, Toshiro stood with a smile directed towards his students. He was young, barely thirty and yet behind his youthful eyes he's had more experience with death and blood than many shinobis would care to have in a life time. "I see you three are still sticking strong despite your new positions," he commented lightly as the breeze picked up on his new white robe.

"Why wouldn't we?" Toshi shrugged as if it was a completely pointless observation. _'Ironic,'_ was the thought process of the two females. Despite each of them having our new positions in the village, it doesn't change the past. They were a team for nearly five years before Nami received a position at the medical clinic and Toshi became the full time apprentice of the self proclaimed bomb expert that is his father. While San was pushed into becoming the councilors inter village ambassador.

Toshiro-Sensei continued to smile, taking note of how much each of his students had grown. Nami changed from a silent thumb twiddler to a smiling, sensible young lady with a vast knowledge of medicine. San just stopped being awkward... Maybe a bit more sporadic... Toshi had ceased his annoying habit of pulling on Nami and San's hair and instead resulted in setting off random "controlled" explosives... when called for... as a form of therapy. His grin fell. Okay, maybe his team hadn't grown up as much as he had thought; but reality reminded him that he was the one to switch the ketchup container with the hot sauce container during the meal with the council...

"Why aren't you joining us, _Sensei_?" Nami grinned, but he only shook his head in amusement. "I'm busy doing Soyokage stuffs..." There was the youngest Soyokage for ya, powerful but childish.

"Sorry to break the gang up, but the medical clinic is requesting the two of you," he pointedly spoke to Toshi and Nami. The red head gave a nervous laugh, recalling the "accident" with some gunpowder this morning. "Well, sorry to cut this short Sensei, but Nami and I have gatta go!"

Before Nami could scamper away they both disappeared in a cloud of smoke, compliments to Toshi's newfound love of smoke disappearances. Sensei then turned to San, gesturing to the trail down the mountain. "Take a walk with me, San," he smiled, "we have not spoken in a while."

She followed the man, taking a few quick steps to come beside him. They walked together along the dirt covered path lined by ancient trees. The wind blew gently past them, welcoming their company.

"How have you been?" He started lightly, admiring the blue sky with eyes of similar hue. "Busy," she commented shortly.

"You're planning on taking the next jonin exams." San found it more of a statement than a question, considering he was the one to sign her up with him being her mentor.

"Of course," she commented.

"You've started training already?"

"Here and there," she spoke again with a slight edge. He just seemed to nod, already knowing that she really meant "stop beating around the bush and tell me what you have to tell me."

He chuckled, "I'm still your Sensei, just with an added bonus of being the village leader too." His shoulders moved in a small shrug, "No big deal."

San continued to stare up at her teacher from the side. He had not changed from the day that she met him, which just so happened to also be the day that she decided that he was a crazy lunatic for throwing them off of a cliff. However, Toshiro-Sensei became to be her most trusted mentor and friend. With him as village leader, San still felt out of place in his life despite his words.

"I thought I should let you know that your name is among the list of candidates for the next successor," he said casually with his hands folded behind him. He continued walking down the beaten path, even after San's pace halted. She tried not to allow facial expression to change, not to allow her eyes to widen or mouth to drop.

'_Soyokage's successor?'_ She never assumed a sentence containing the words "you" and "successor" would be together. Yet, there it was, spoken and thought.

Toshiro sensed her shock and quarter turned to glance back at his pupil. With much effort and debate, "I submitted your name into the council."

She looked up at him, her mask no longer on, only able to breathe out a pleasing, "Why?"

His head cocked to the side, the white robe loosened to expose the green of his under robe. His hat had been long lost to the wind, but there was a reason for his stash of extra hats in his office. "Why not?"

"How could they allow that?" She spoke wildly. "Why would they allow that...?"

"Why not?" Came his simple reply once more.

"Toshiro-Dono," San breathed in exasperation, "you above all, would know the council's negativity towards me." She didn't understand. The council never really accepted her. They almost rejected the past Soyokage's decision to move her up from genin to chunin.

"I suppose they grew up and put that silly, little detail behind them," Toshiro countered absentmindedly. Yet, they both knew what a stretch that would be. The silly, little detail could have the potential to split the village in half.

"I am sure that they agreed that you showed your worth by your most current actions. You have done a superb job as a-"

"With all due respect, Sensei. There's still three strikes against me," San said pleadingly. Strike one: her mother. Strike two: the cursed seal and kekki genkai. Strike three: her 'taste in men,' as the council once put it.

Toshiro shook his head, was it the council that would not let those details go, or San? "Those things do not matter anymore. Two of them are proven to be dead."

Her heart dropped and her mouth knotted itself. Dead... She hoped that he would take her silence as acceptance. It was a well known assumption that Uchiha, Sasuke, formerly of Konohagura, is no longer alive because on so much blood being found and broken his weapon being left.

And her mother...

Her chest tightened, what future did she envision for herself? The connotation associated with the prestigious title of Soyokage seemed so lonely. _Lonely..._ She thought of the empty rooms of her childhood home. It wasn't always so cold and empty.

Her head shook, loose hairs victim to the winds around them, but she still could not accept that answer. San's hands clenched together, making them shake and pale. "The Soyokage must hold the village above all else, the Second Soyokage taught that to us." In the past, the Soyokage didn't even have a private life. He always said, everyone in Soyogakura was his child because he had none of his own.

Again her heart lurched inside her, almost to the point of pain. From such a young age, she had been taught to "follow your heart." Those were the only words she remembered of her mother; because she surely did when she fell into her father's arms. But, to follow her heart meant, the betrayal of the other lesson engrained into her soul: "Protect the village, your home."

If only she could just amputate her brain or heart. They were at war and it seemed like her sanity might be the victim, caught in the middle of it all.

An image of those shining, obsidian eyes invaded her battle field; yet, somehow, calmed her soul and body. Her white knuckled hands released pressure, allowing blood to flow once again. The surrounding wind seemed to abandon her as the calmness flowed through her. She looked up to meet Toshiro's easy gaze. "Sensei," she breathed out quickly, hoping to inhale the strength she needed, "I can _not_..."

The words felt heavy upon her shoulders, but her heart and mind felt so light. "...I hold something above the village's well being." She kept a steady gaze with his, "_My own_..."

She was selfish, she would admit openly to it; but did that make her in the wrong?

The breeze returned, tugging at her lose hair and clothes once more. The current Soyokage gazed upon her strong gaze and steady form. A gale passed, making the rustling leaves knowing. He failed at holding back a smile while his eyes sparkled. _'Strong willed...'_

A thought occurred to him as he watched San's hard eyes, _'Just like Sensei...'_ His teacher, her father, and the former Soyokage successor to the Second. Toshiro shook off the matter before his eyes started to wander and a light smile adorned his lips.

"Why so serious about the matter, San?" He chucked, moving to comb his short, brown hair with his palm. He always took matters quite lightly. It was not unlikely to catch an offhanded joke about him being as "playful as the wind." However, his students knew the full force of his hurricanes.

"Besides," Toshiro motioned for her to continue their stroll down the mountain, "this is in the future and you are one among many other candidates" He chuckled to himself, "I don't plan on resigning or dying anytime soon." San continued to stare wordlessly before eventually coming to her senses and following her mentor.

Toshiro continued to smile to himself, thinking about the teen beside him. The Second Soyokage had great things planned for Sanzen. It was only a matter of if San could accept them, just as her father did. But, as the Third and current Soyokage, he did vow to do what was best for the village. He could see San already making that decision, Toshiro just hoped for a different outcome.

He was not surprised at her answers, already perceiving her reaction as completely natural for San. However, he thought back to the look in her eyes and found it far from expected.

"Until the time comes, San," her light grey eyes met with his sky blue orbs, "please continue your position as ambassador." She nodded with a light smile, but behind it, questions seemed to pop out of nowhere.

Even after the day was done, the feeling of overwhelming questions still lingered in her thoughts. She passed the people returning to their houses. She waved, smiled, made small talk; yet, inside she felt the emptiness that she thought she was rid of long ago. But, she realized, as she made her way across the familiar meadow in front of the abandoned windmills, that it had been there all along, even before the fires scorched the homes of the village.

San approached the lone door to the windmill. The empty echo of her boots against the cobblestone steps scared away the silence. The door squeaked open and she entered the lone building, making sure to close the door from the peeping wind.

She ascended the stairs, passing the frames and dust until she found herself in the room once more. It was as empty as she left it, but somehow she couldn't will herself to leave so soon. Her footsteps echoed around the room as the tips of her fingers traced each surface of the room. She remembered placing her hands upon the window ceil last time there was more than just her presence in the room. She paused, taking a glance out the window. The sun had set long ago and now the moon hung in the sparking sky, mixed in hues of purple and blue.

Despite the beauty in the scene, she felt no lightheartedness nor awe. A heavy emptiness still lingered within her pits and she sighed, emptying her being even more.

Her gaze turned to the bed, neatly folded sheets from the last time she was in the room. Her feet brought her to the bedside once more, where the chair still stood, abandoned.

Her fingers grazed the back of the wood chair, but her eyes widened and mouth tightened in order to not slacken. Instead of the cold greeting she was expecting from the furniture piece, it omitted a warmth that she had been without.

San's hand began to tremble before she realized another's presence. The door to the room slammed shut and she dare not look up to meet his gaze as she already felt his dark eyes upon her small form.

She held her breath as his scent of cedar reached her. Her chest already started to constrict her fighting heart.

"What are you doing here?"

As much as she fought herself, her bleak grey eyes met his coal dark ones. "Sasuke..."

**X-X-X-X**

The smoke from the village spread through the forest and into his airways, causing him only mild discomfort. From his perch above the falling buildings, he watched the countless battles rage between fire and man, sound ninja and wind ninja; but more importantly: Sannin and Soyokage.

The old man knew he was not going to return to his people in this battle. He knew it, Orochimaru knew it, and Sasuke knew it. The moment the words of war left his throat, the cold presence of death revealed itself to him. It followed him, stalked him, and mocked him until he stood before him in the form of the great White Snake.

All his glorious years of life were not of waste to him. The Soyokage actually preferred that he died protecting the village that he fought so hard to establish. He helped in the rebellion and foundation. He assisted in the governing. He watched over his loyal followers until this day.

He had a good life. The only complaint to the gods that he would ever let leave with him is that he was unable to take the culprit of his village's current state with him.

The Soyokage felt the fangs of the snake pierce his armor, into his ill beating heart; but he did not feel them retreat from his frame. He fell to the scorched ground, seeing past the smoke and depression, feeling the bright rays of the sun and the gentle caresses of the breeze welcome him.

"Orochimaru," Sasuke spoke as he landed beside the man's fallen opponent. He staggered, tongue nearly long enough to touch the bloodied ground. With striking yellow eyes, the lone Sannin looked upon his pupil in annoyance.

"Sasuke-Kun," he spit the name out, "you came at the perfect moment." Orochimaru's willowy form staggered, for he had felt Death's grip upon him all too often. Death was still knocking upon his soul, but he refused to answer even as his life trickled through his gripping fingers.

"I know," Sasuke replied as he now stood behind Orochimaru and opened the door for Death. Black blood scattered about where another corpse now lay. He did not see his _former_ master's last expression, nor could he really say he cared. His red gaze lay upon the other corpses accompanying the one before him. Wind nin.

Sorrow did not prick upon his nerves, nor did guild. He could have stepped in sooner, but in his mind, death was inevitable. What did peck upon his brain was an image. That sole image was enough to force the Uchiha to turn away from the blood and death. The image of the tears that she would surly shed for the fallen men.

He momentarily bent down, closing the Soyokage's faded eyes.

She always talked highly of the Soyokage, like he was her idol. Death was no stranger to her, but it did not mean that she welcomed its presence. Sasuke fists tightened, she should cry for no man, no matter how great.

Suddenly his eyes popped open and the second phase of the attack came to his mind. "San..." He dwelled in the arena no longer and shot off to the outskirts of the village where more fighting and more death were.

Orochimaru wanted the scrolls that Soyokagura had been acquiring since its establishment. He also desired its location and secrets. A bonus of the village, Sasuke recalled, was the home of a ninja with an unordinary ability that Orochimaru had been desiring for so long. The ability of many of the independent assassin clans: Fumikorosu.

The ability was like a double edged sword. It granted the wielder an inhuman amount of chakra and strength, but all at a price.

Sasuke caught his mind from wandering down the paths of "what ifs." He wouldn't allow the price to be paid. At least, that's what he told himself. His pace quickened. He needed to stop Kabuto.

**.x.X.x.**

She stared at her hand without really seeing it. She only saw the blood that now stained it's deathly color upon them. Hard, green eyes focused upon the slow solidification of the liquid but her entire body remained tense and alert.

'_What had happened?'_ a small, distant part of her sanity asked, but her current state just did not give a shit. Instead, the blood upon her ivory hands seemed all the more interesting. The color, the smell, the feel; but most of all, the memory of the owners.

The girl rotated her pale, blood coated hand, finding exotic markings marring every available inch of her ivory flesh. Green eyes did not seem to really care, but relished in the growing sense of power oozing out of every pore.

These hands, that squeezed the life giving liquid out of her captures' wrists. She sensed silent movement behind her. Her palms closed as a smirk slowly cracked on her lips.

Chakra built up in her hand, and in a flash, she threw slicing blades of wind behind her, nailing the offender in the chest. Kabuto's back impacted against the tree, omitting a less than satisfying crack.

With hard, but empty eyes, she turned to him, smirk still etched on her pale face.

"San?"

She didn't turn to look at him, but he could already feel the chill of her hard gaze. Yet, this time, coils of black tattoos marred every inch of her flesh. The energy around her was almost to the point of being visible to the naked eye. Sasuke caught his breath from shaking. "San!" He shouted once more, but just like last time, there seemed to be no acknowledgement of his presence.

San began taking long, steady strides over to the fallen medic nin. The aura around her became bloodlust and her eyes narrowed to glowing, green slits. It was then that Kabuto began to rouse from his fall, as San's possessed hands lifted to her center, rapidly forming seals.

With a widening smirk, San inhaled as Kabuto and Sasuke's eyes widened. A stream of hysterical laughter left her lips before a tornado of slicing winds surrounded her and with a simple signal of her hands, began to stamped towards Kabuto at full force.

Kabuto raised his arms, scalpel in hand, blocking all vital points he could. Sasuke drew his sword, sticking it into the trunk of the tree to anchor himself from the storm of blades. He covered his eyes, barely making out San's hunched form.

His mind raced, but not one though was spared to think of his own safety. With rate of chakra that San was using, his gaze darkened, she could die.

"_The seal that Orochimaru-Sama put on Sanzen is meant to evoke her bloodline limit," Kabuto explained as he whipped his glasses. "Simply, every time her bloodline limit activates so does the seal and every time the seal activates, so does her blood ability."_

"_Why was this done?" Sasuke barked with a glare. Kabuto merely shrugged, "I suppose at some point, Master desired the ability for research for the curse seal; yet he had no viable subject. Half-blooded Sanzen must have been his only opportunity, considering that the remaining clan went into hiding quite a ways back. He was convinced that their secret was in their blood."_

_The silver haired man smirked, "Why the sudden interest in old activity, Sasuke-San? I recall you saying that you broke all bonds from your former life?"_

_The glare never lightened upon the smirking male, "I did." Sasuke turned to leave, already thoroughly annoyed with the older man. "Then I suppose this last tid-bit of information would be of no interest to you." The teen stopped, head still forward and form still strong; but his mind reeled behind him. Kabuto's smirk only widened as he pushed his newly polished glasses upon the bridge of his nose. _

"_Sanzen still seems unable to control her gift and if she were to activate it for too long..." Kabuto paused to lick his bottom lip, not even bothering to hide his amusement, "...it could lead to her death..."_

"San!" Sasuke attempted to approach her, even managed to get arms distance before he sensed her slight weight adjustment and blocked her kick with the blunt edge of his chokuto blade. Her gaze finally met his, but even he knew better than to believe that the emerald green eyes before him were the same as the shadowy grey ones of the woman he knew.

"San, you have to stop," he spoke evenly, only to skid back by another attack on his blade. His teeth gritted together, holding the blade strong. "You're killing yourself!"

Could she even hear him anymore? San continued to hammer her foot upon the blunt edge of his sword. It was not designed for force impact, as a crack began to emerge in the center of the blade. His grip tightened, watching the girl that acted no different than an unleashed wild animal. His arm frame shook with every impact she dealt; yet he held strong out of sheer need. He tried to see past her emerald barrier, trying to find the San he knew, but he only saw his own reflection staring back.

His words could not reach her, so how could he get to her? His mind raced, but another crack in his sword reminded him of the lack of time that he had. What had happened last time? The only other time that Sasuke experienced this side of San was six years ago when Orochimaru attacked Konoha. He remembered not understanding her actions, her warnings. _'Last time...'_

"_I remembered that you smelled of fresh cedar…"_

Sasuke's grip slackened, and the impact of the kick made the chokuto slip from his palms. He reached out, grasping her to contain her wild arms with his. He pressed her form to him, bearing the assaults she committed upon his chest. _'Remember...'_

San's face was forced against his chest and try as she may, she could not get loose of his constricting frame. Blood transferred from her form to his, neither caring about the origin. Chakra still raged around her in a storming fury, eager for use. Yet, his arms held strong and her snarls began to lower.

Hey eyes widened as his scent invaded her, seeping into her mind. Her flailing ceased and ever so slowly, the black markings upon her skin began to uncoil and recede back into the origin contained in her arm. Yet, her eyes continued to remain rigid, gem green.

"Sasuke?" She spoke for the first time in a broken chord. They breathed the same air as San looked down at her soiled hands. It happened again...

She did not shake, but her eyes remained empty. Sasuke watched her recall the killings without remorse. Instead, there was the slightest traces of fear. Fear of herself...

Movement caught his eyes from behind her and before he could think coherently, he already threw San behind him to feel the impact of a blade. _'Sasuke!'_ San thought wordlessly before he toppled over to the ground. It was only a few blades, but he was already out cold.

She had no more weapons except for her sheathed sword so she threw her tanto, only for Kabutp to zigzag through the forest of trees, evading the weapon. The sword imbedded in a nearby tree beside the trail of blood.

Her mind told her to follow, to take another life; but her legs would not move any farther from the fallen body beside her. She found her breath quickening and the inklings of weariness rap upon her mind.

Her gaze turned to his still form. He was there because of her. She couldn't rest just yet, she thought as she took care to grasp his shoulder. She couldn't let another die for her sake. What was so special about her life that others put their own out on a stick?

With a storming mind, her arms moved to secure the unconscious man upon her back. It was an act of treason against the village and the country, but at the moment she could only think of his slowing breath.

**X-X-X-X**

"Sasuke..." The name alone released the pressure in her chest and filled a small portion of the void within her. But her hands continued to silently tremble, despite her fruitless efforts.

In all his imperfect glory he stood against the doorway. Arms crossed, stance steady, and eyes dark; the same eyes that she could easily drown in and hate, the same gaze that first caught her interest so many years ago.

She felt her heart crushing the cage she tried so desperately to uphold. Why did he leave her? Why did he return? Hadn't he left to be rid of her? She never gave him a reason to stay...

Her hand fell from the back of the chair, making her loose her only tangible support. "W-why...," she begged her voice not to leave her, "Why did you return?"

"Did you really want me to leave?" He finally spoke. Inside he was cracking, but his perfect mask stayed in place. Even he could not deny that he was breaking, something, somewhere. The lack of a presence led to his uneasiness and his constant need to stop and stare at the movement of the leaves and swaying of the grass.

"Wha-" She started, yet he would have none of her questions.

"Do you want me to go!?" He wanted answers and she understood that the answer would determine their future. Would they even exist together in the same worlds? He, who originated a whole country away from everything she had ever known. Did she want him out of her life?

Her lips knotted together as her gaze lowered. Fingers itched to grasp onto something, anything; but only managed to find each other. Her head swayed, side to side in a shake of the head.

Why did her body always betray her?

Sasuke felt the tension in his breast subside, but only slightly. He was not about to say that he found a sliver of hope, but hope did seem to find him. His form lifted off the door's support and he stood tall on his own before her. One step forward. "Then," he forced the question out of his awaiting lungs, "**What do you want?**" They allowed the silence to slowly consume the words, as they sunk deeper into her subconscious.

What did she want?

She did not want the title of Soyokage. She wanted to be looked upon as an equal, not higher nor lower. She wanted a family. She wanted her father to come, bearing the light smile, only for his daughter. She wanted to see her mother, remember the scent of her yukata and warmth of her embrace. She wanted a future not full of death and despair. She did not want to feel as empty as she did before. She did not want to be alone...

But, her heart pinched; just because she wanted so much did not mean that it was in her stars. Did others want her?

Sasuke saw her sway, while her eyes distanced themselves from the room before them. He watched her hands entangle themselves with one another and her hair sway with every little movement she made. He knew that San was either very subtle or overly dramatic in her actions; but one could never tell which route she would take.

His hands felt cold at the thought of her disappearing before him. He had accepted that she became to mean more to him than he really intended. Really, what did he intend for her to become to him the day he clashed blades with her in Konoha? Another rival? A good friend?

He always assumed that his heart ran the way it did with her due to adrenaline, but the way it wanted to break out of his chest to her seemed rather impossible.

They used to be so close; to the point where she could read him, and him, her. He could grasp her hand and she would lean against him, appreciating the simple walks that brought them close. Yet, that was long ago. What once was, can never be again... Right?

Her eyes met his and it seemed that hope found both of them. Was fate laughing?

At arm's reach, he was waiting for her answer. She opened her mouth to speak, but she already knew that nothing would come out. What she wanted...

Without anymore hesitation, she took another step into his chest and brought his lips to hers. She held him close and he held her closer.

She wanted him and he would only have her.

* * *

><p>Yes! Finished! Series finished! Oh, wait... I started writing a sequel. Why would I subject myself through this pain and suffering again? Because nothing really happened in this one...<p>

Well, everyone, thank you so very much for reading! If you have gotten this far then I am so proud of you for keeping with my sporadic, untimely updates. If I am appreciative of anything, it is you who reads my overly emotional and un sensible bottom page rants. Oh, how I feel so loved...

So, yeah... Please check out my Sequel: _**What Will Come**_. The first chapter is posted. There will be a great deal more action, more plot, more characters and so much emotion you shall explode...

-Sin


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